Home office production ideas for writers

Many of us have already had it happen; the computer crashes, a virus strikes or something else disrupts our happy writing lives along with all of the material we have worked so hard to complete. If ever there was a time for panic and mayhem, that would be it. All of your work is gone in an instant. It is enough to send even the most cheerful person into a deep depression. Like other tragedies, most mistakenly think that sort of thing only happens to other people. But, it can and at some point probably will happen to you.

Luckily, there are things you can do to prevent a mental meltdown along with preventing your work from being lost. There are also other programs and services available that just make having a writing career that much easier. Keeping organized is vital when every aspect of your work is kept on the computer.

Mozy

Current statistics show that one in every ten hard drives fail each year. The cost of recovering a failed hard drive can exceed $7,500, and success is never guaranteed.
Next to having an actual disc backup, using a service like Mozy is perfect. You can have the peace of mind knowing that your information and your work is backed up securely ~just in case! With Mozy, you can get 2 Gigs of back-up absolutely FREE, so you can't beat the price there. With that amount of backup most people can have all of their pictures on there and then some. If you need more for your work itself, you can get unlimited space for only $4.99 a month. It's worth looking into if simply for peace of mind. Writers have their entire careers on their computers. Every article, chapter and/or squid lens info they have ever created is on the hard-drive and it can be lost in an instant unless the information is backed up.

Click here to try Mozy for FREE!

Desktop Central

At some point in their careers, many freelance, copy and content writers decide to hire their own group of writers for their ventures. This is where I am at now. This isn't as far-fetched as it may seem to someone who does not write professionally. By having your own team of writers, you can take on bigger jobs and delegate some of the responsibilities. If at any point you should decide to hire writers, Central Desktop can eliminate the email clutter and provide a space for communication between you and your team. My Recommendation for Collaboration Software is Central Desktop - Try it FREE

With Central desktop you can share files and create online discussion groups. These are absolute lifesavers when you are working with deadlines and need to keep the team on track and motivated. You can get started with a free trial, so again, it is worth it to see how helpful it can be. I rarely try anything that doesn't have a free trial because I like to try it before I buy it when I discover a new program, service or software. Central Desktop let's you do just that.

Shoeboxed

Most freelancers have a difficult time keeping up with receipts and business cards. We all have the great intentions of scanning everything and organizing it so that when tax time rolls around, we are ready. But...are we? With Shoeboxed, you just stuff all of your receipts and business cards into an envelope and once a week or once a month, mail them in. Shoeboxed takes it from there, scans, labels and organizes your information for you so it is there when you need it. It can also be used with Quicken and is IRS approved. Shoeboxed: Where Receipts Go


**Photo from Evelynshere at Flickr

**Photo by Elsie Esq. with Flickr creative license

If you write on various sites as I do, you may want to keep track of your article submissions either by starting an Excel spreadsheet or by simply getting a 5 subject notebook. I use the notebook because I never was any good at doing spreadsheets. On the tab for each subject I write the name of the site and then I include all of the articles I write for that site. The only site I do NOT do this for is Squidoo because they do such a great job of listing everything I could want to know about my lenses!

I also use a separate notebook for each of my clients. I keep track of the articles I write, when I write/submit them, how many words are in each project, amount due and if I have been paid for them. For those of you good with spreadsheets, this will probably be a breeze. I've been using notebooks so long that it's second nature.

In fact, I carry a notebook in my tote bag along with 3 pens. *Note: A real paper notebook! This is for article and lens ideas, important thoughts that I need to be reminded of and other information. Even with the advent of laptops and WiFi, I cannot imagine not carying my notebook with me. Old school, I know...but very effective!